Emergency responders and other road workers often use incendiary flares to mark a scene of a traffic accident, road closure, or work zone. The officer must park his patrol car, open the trunk, obtain some flares, and walk back into traffic to deploy them. The officer must then light each flare and put it on the ground. While doing so, the officer is dangerously exposed to passing traffic, compounded sometimes by poor visibility. Similarly, military and search and rescue personnel often need to deploy illumination devices from vehicles, aircraft, and watercraft.
The use of incendiary flares poses numerous problems: they are a serious fire hazard and cannot be used in areas where dry brush or other hazardous or flammable materials are present; they can become chemically unstable over time; they are susceptible to moisture as well as temperature changes; they are bulky; they have a limited burn time; they are conventionally manufactured with toxic materials; and they are expensive.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved deployment system for illumination devices. The improved system should allow a person to easily deploy illumination devices without exposing the person to dangerous conditions. In addition, the illumination device should be easy and safe to use, durable, and cost effective. The present invention addresses such a need.